Abe Says to Submit Top Law Amendment Proposal in Autumn

September 10, 2018

Tokyo- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday that as head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party he will aim to submit the party's constitutional amendment proposal to an extraordinary parliamentary session likely to be held in autumn.

Abe, 63, unveiled the plan in a joint press conference with his sole opponent in the Sept. 20 LDP presidential election, Shigeru Ishiba, 61, former secretary-general of the party.

The election's official campaign period started on Friday but the two candidates waited until Monday to deliver policy speeches and meet the press, in the wake of a powerful earthquake that hit Hokkaido, northern Japan, on Thursday.

LDP president is effectively assured of the prime ministership because of the party's comfortable majority in the House of Representatives, the all-important lower chamber of parliament.

Abe, who is aiming to win a third consecutive three-year term as LDP chief, reiterated his determination to clarify the rationale for the existence of the Self-Defense Forces in war-renouncing Article 9 of Japan's constitution.

"I believe creating an environment where SDF troops can fulfill their duties with pride is a mission of politicians," Abe said. "Let's achieve this mission by having the constitution mention the SDF."

The prime minister also said he plans to raise the consumption tax rate from 8 pct to 10 pct in October next year as scheduled.

Related to the tax hike plan, Abe said he will carry out social security system reforms over a three-year period with the aim of allowing people of all generations to live their lives with a sense of security.

In addition, Abe said he is determined to resolve a territorial dispute with Russia and the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea decades ago.

"It's time to take an inventory of Japan's postwar diplomacy," the prime minister said.

Abe stressed that his government will do its best to help the country recover from a series of natural disasters, including the Hokkaido earthquake.

He highlighted the recovery of the country's effective job openings-to-seekers ratio, among the achievements of his administration after nearly six years. He said this election will be the last LDP leadership contest in which he will run.

On constitutional revisions, Ishiba, attempting for the third time to reach the ruling party's top post, said he sees a pressing need to scrap the mergers of two pairs of sparsely populated neighboring prefectural constituencies for elections for the House of Councillors, the upper chamber.

He also hopes to put priority on the establishment of a constitutional provision to cover emergency situations, including major disasters.

Ishiba showed a cautious stance toward Abe's proposal to revise Article 9, saying any constitutional revision should not be put to a referendum without sufficient public understanding.

In evaluating the prime minister's Abenomics economic policy, Ishiba questioned the fall in labor's share of the economy to the lowest level in 43 years.

He then said, "What I want to achieve is an economic recovery driven by regional revitalization."

The two candidates also discussed how the government should be handled, apparently in response to a series of favoritism allegations against the Abe administration.

Abe said he will reflect on what he has done, fix what must be fixed and manage the government humbly and carefully.

Ishiba said he will work on restoring the public's trust in the prime minister's office. Jiji Press